The Saudi Arabian Ministry of Health (MOH) released four new reports of MERS-CoV cases over the weekend, including two cases that had direct contact with camels.
On Mar 21, a 67-year-old Saudi man from Najran was diagnosed as having MERS-CoV (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus). He is in stable condition and had contact with camels.
The rate of outpatient visits for influenza-like illnesses (ILI) dropped to 2.7% last week, close to the national baseline of 2.2%, according to the latest influenza surveillance data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This is the 17th week ILI has been at or above the national baseline.
New European avian flu detections include H5N6 in Sweden and Ireland, H5N8 in Italy, and low-path H5N3 in France.
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) last week announced the launch of two phase 2 clinical trials of a candidate H7N9 influenza vaccine, one to assess different dosages with or without an adjuvant and the second to look at the adjuvanted vaccine's performance alongside a quadrivalent seasonal flu vaccine.
A 2-year follow-up study of the single-dose oral cholera vaccine (OCV) showed it was effective in adults and children over the age of 5 years. Consistent with results from the 6-month follow-up, the vaccine failed to protect children under the age of 5 from the disease.
A total of 76 people in 19 states have been sickened with Salmonella linked to pet turtles, according to a final investigation report today from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). That's 10 more cases in 1 more state compared with the CDC's previous update, which was in November.
In addition, Mexico reports two highly pathogenic H7N3 outbreaks in poultry.
In an update on an ongoing intravenous saline bag shortage, US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD, said yesterday the situation is improving, and the agency expects that the problems will be resolved well before the next flu season begins.
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The low-path H7 detection is the first in the US this year, and more tests will be done to characterize the H7N1 virus.
